Janice Carello

Bio: Janice Carello is an academic researcher from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The author has contributed to research in topics: Human rights & Call to action. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 8 publications receiving 249 citations. Previous affiliations of Janice Carello include University at Buffalo.

Practicing What We Teach: Trauma-Informed Educational Practice

Abstract: This article presents the starting case for applying the elements of trauma-informed care (TIC) to education and outlines the authors’ initial efforts to develop guidelines for what they call trauma-informed educational practice. To this end, the article starts with a literature review related to the potential for vicarious traumatization and retraumatization among students in clinical training, followed by a discussion of the TIC framework and past efforts to be trauma sensitive in social work education. The authors then describe what drew them to this perspective and inspired them to apply it to educational practice. They then present guidelines for implementing the trauma-informed principle of safety in the classroom in several domains.

Potentially perilous pedagogies: Teaching trauma is not the same as trauma-informed teaching

Abstract: This article explores why and how trauma theory and research are currently used in higher education in nonclinical courses such as literature, women's studies, film, education, anthropology, cultural studies, composition, and creative writing. In these contexts, traumatic material is presented not only indirectly in the form of texts and films that depict traumatic events but also directly in the form of what is most commonly referred to in nonclinical disciplines as trauma studies, cultural trauma studies, and critical trauma studies. Within these areas of study, some instructors promote potentially risky pedagogical practices involving trauma exposure or disclosure despite indications that these may be having deleterious effects. After examining the published rationales for such methods, we argue that given the high rates of trauma histories (66%-85%), posttraumatic stress disorder (9%-12%), and other past event-related distress among college students, student risk of retraumatization and secondary traumatization should be decreased rather than increased. To this end, we propose that a trauma-informed approach to pedagogy-one that recognizes these risks and prioritizes student emotional safety in learning-is essential, particularly in classes in which trauma theories or traumatic experiences are taught or disclosed.

Trauma, stress, and self-care in clinical training: Predictors of burnout, decline in health status, secondary traumatic stress symptoms, and compassion satisfaction.

Abstract: [Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 9(4) of Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (see record 2016-54155-001). In the article, there was an error in Table 4 of the Results. The Outcomes and Predictors columns were not clearly categorized from one another. The corrected table is present in the erratum.] Objective: Courtois and Gold (2009) have called for the inclusion of trauma in the curriculum for all mental health training programs. The present study investigated the impact of trauma-related content, stress, and self-care (SC) on trainees in such a program. Method: The study examined potential risk factors (trauma exposures in training [being faced with or reacting to trauma-related field work experiences and course content] and perceptions of stress in field and coursework) and protective factors (SC effort and importance) in relation to burnout (BO), health status (HS), secondary traumatic stress symptoms (STSS), and compassion satisfaction (CS) among 195 students in a graduate social work training program. Results: All students reported trauma exposures in their field placements and/or coursework, including retraumatization experiences that were associated with higher STSS and BO. Field stress and SC effort were both consistent predictors across outcomes. Higher field stress levels predicted higher BO and STSS, a greater likelihood of decline in HS, and lower CS. Lower SC effort was also associated with higher BO and STSS, and a greater likelihood of decline in HS, while higher SC effort predicted higher CS. Older students, those with traumatized field clients, and those whose field work addressed trauma, also reported higher CS. Conclusions: These findings suggest that clinical training involving trauma content can be both rewarding and stressful, and may evoke distress in some trainees. Given that learning about and working with trauma are essential to adequate clinical training, the authors suggest adopting a trauma-informed approach within clinical training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Retraumatization Mediates the Effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Clinical Training-Related Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptoms

Abstract: Previous research (Butler, Carello, & Maguin, 2016) has found that exposure to trauma-related material in graduate clinical coursework and field training can put students at risk for reactivations of feelings/memories from negative past experiences (retraumatization) and for secondary traumatic stress (STS) symptoms. The present report sought to examine the role, if any, of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in these outcomes. Using the Butler et al. (2016) sample, we examined: (1) rates of ACEs in 195 graduate social work students, (2) whether the total number of ACEs was associated with training-related retraumatization (TRT) and/or STS symptoms, and (3) if TRT mediated the relationship between ACEs and STS symptoms. The results indicate that more than three quarters of the sample had experienced one or more ACEs before age 18 and almost one third endorsed 4 or more. The most commonly reported ACEs were household mental illness, parental separation/divorce, household alcohol/substance abuse, and emotional abuse or neglect by a parent or household member. Higher ACE scores were associated with increased likelihood of TRT experiences and STS symptoms during training. A mediation analysis confirmed that TRT mediated the effect of ACE scores on STS symptoms; this finding also provides support for the role of proximal emotional reactions in mediating the effects of distal adverse experiences on the development of trauma symptoms. In summary, despite the evident resilience of this graduate student sample, those with ACE histories were at heightened risk for training-related distress. These results underscore the need for a trauma-informed approach to clinical training.

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence — from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

Abstract: Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence — from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Judith Lewis Herman. New York: Basic Books, 1992. 276 pp. $27.00. ISBN 0-465-08765–5.Shattered Assumptions: Toward A New Psychology of Trauma, Ronnie Janoff-Bulman. New York: The Free Press, 1992, 256 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-02-916015–4.

Loneliness, isolation, and social support factors in post-COVID-19 mental health.

Abstract: Social support plays a key role in well-being, yet one of the major preventative efforts for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involves social distancing. During times of crisis, social support is emphasized as a coping mechanism. This requires many people to change their typical ways of connectedness and assumes that people have existing healthy relationships or access to technology. The purpose of this article was to explore the potential impact of COVID-19 on loneliness and well-being. Social support is an important consideration for understanding the impact of COVID-19 Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery, which are tools used to inform response methods to help people connect during isolation and are interventions that could be adapted to COVID-specific needs for what may be a prolonged isolation and postisolation. Given the many unknowns of COVID-19, studies are needed to understand the larger behavioral health impact to ensure resources are available, current, and evidence informed. Future studies are also needed to understand how access to technology may help buffer loneliness and isolation and thus improve the social outcomes of the current pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Practicing What We Teach: Trauma-Informed Educational Practice

Abstract: This article presents the starting case for applying the elements of trauma-informed care (TIC) to education and outlines the authors’ initial efforts to develop guidelines for what they call trauma-informed educational practice. To this end, the article starts with a literature review related to the potential for vicarious traumatization and retraumatization among students in clinical training, followed by a discussion of the TIC framework and past efforts to be trauma sensitive in social work education. The authors then describe what drew them to this perspective and inspired them to apply it to educational practice. They then present guidelines for implementing the trauma-informed principle of safety in the classroom in several domains.